Cristiano Ronaldo: How Al Nassr Players Celebrated Portugal Star for Reaching 40 Goal Mark in 2023

• Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is having a magical 2023 for club and country
• He recently hit the 40-goal mark for 2023 and has been saluted by fans and teammates
• Al-Nassr players surprised their star captain with a gift to celebrate his latest milestone

Cristiano Ronaldo is enjoying another phenomenal season. He recently hit 40 goals in 2023 alone and at 38 years old, that is phenomenal.

His second season at Manchester United ended unceremoniously, paving the way for a ground-breaking transfer to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

He played 16 Saudi Pro League games in his first season in the Middle Eastern country. He scored 14 goals but his new team narrowly missed out on the league title, which Al-Ittihad won.

Before the 2023/24 season kicked off, Ronaldo played in the Arab Club Champions Cup and almost single-handedly led his team to victory in the tournament, claiming his first trophy with Al-Nassr and also earning the tournament's Golden Boot.

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So far this season, the Portuguese superstar is the leading goal-scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 10 goals in eight games for the Knights of Najd, per Transfermarkt.

Furthermore, Ronaldo has nine goals in the Euro 2024 qualifiers - one less than the top scorer, Belgium's Romelu Lukaku.

Al-Nassr players celebrate Ronaldo

After the international break, Al-Nassr players planned a surprise for their veteran. In a video posted on social media, the team waited for Ronaldo to head out to the pitch before following him with a big cake to celebrate the new milestone.

The cake has pictures of the superstar in the colours of Portugal and Al-Nassr with the words declaring: 2023 international caps, 127 goals, 40 goals in 2023.

The former Real Madrid star was all smiles and ever-so-slightly awkward as he received the special present.

Ronaldo limps after pitch invader incident

Video shows how Ronaldo was nutmegged by Istiqlol player in Asian Champions League

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During Portugal's 5-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Zenica's Bilino Polje Stadium, the veteran had a moment of concern, Sports Brief previously reported.

A pitch invader rushed at Ronaldo and in the moments immediately afterwards, he was spotted limping. However, he stayed on until the 65th minute of the qualifier tie.

Video footage suggested that either a fan or one of the security guards who quickly impeded an onrushing pitch invader might have accidentally stepped on his foot.